While it is fairly common for an ink-stained journalist to cross over into the realm of public relations, controversy is now swirling about soon-to-be former Daily News reporter Oren Yaniv.
Yaniv covered the Brooklyn courts and Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson before giving Editor-in-Chief and President Colin Myler his two-week notice April 24.
He told Myler he was going to become part of Thompson’s media staff. Yaniv’s last day at the paper will be May 8.
At least one insider says Yaniv first expressed a desire to work for Thompson way back in 2013, shortly after the November election and before Thompson’s January 2014 swearing-in.
Yaniv was a frequent outlet for favorable news on Thompson over the past 18 months.
Critics said that virtually all the stories that were penned by Yaniv about Thompson during the year-and-a-half were positive and reflected favorably on his soon-to-be new boss.
Yaniv was removed from the Brooklyn courts beat on April 24, after telling his bosses he was quitting.
Armed with the knowledge, Myler, three days after Yaniv gave notice, still OK’d a story on DA Thompson written by Yaniv and a second reporter. The story quoted Thompson about crime dropping in Brooklyn — while it was up in the rest of the city.
Yaniv shoots down the idea that he has been secretly harboring desires to write press releases for Thompson over the past 18 months as he was writing news stories for the News.
“The information you received is false,” Yaniv insisted on Thursday. “I have never approached the DA or his transition team after his election nor did I talk to anyone about joining the DA’s press office until recently, when I was approached.”
The Brooklyn DA’s office seems like a resting ground for a number of other former Daily News scribes, including Helen Peterson and Patrice O’Shaughnessy — although neither of them were covering the DA immediately before their arrival in the press office.
We looked to get the skinny on how long Yaniv had been trolling for a job, but a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn DA had not gotten back to us by presstime.
